Re: And it comes down to france
PD,
My personal favorite country is the Ukraine, as a people they are remarkably smart. The Soviets, whatever you think about them had an awesome University system, and virtually everyone attends. They have always had some brilliant people. Now alcoholism, corruption and the Ukrainian mafia are big drains on the economy, but, the entrprenurial energy there is incredible. Everybody thinks nothing of working two or three jobs. Once they shed the communist work ethic of doing as little as possible, they unleashed a dynamo. One computer will have five people around it, dying to get to work. The average salary is $200 to $250 per month. Want people to work around the clock? Fine. And they love America. By the time the average Frenchman has finished his second latte, the Average Ukrainain woman has been at work five hours. When corruption is tamed, standards for capital protection enacted, and capital is injected, the Ukrainians will eat the French alive for a tenth of the cost without leaving Europe.
For most of Eastern Europe this is the reality. They don't give a crap about the EU, the EU is just a means to achieve success. They don't care about a power balance in the world. Like most French and Germans, they just want jobs and an opportunity.